Famous persons in Kaposvár

Painters

János Balázs
(1904, Magyaregres - 1927, Kaposvár)
The genious talent János Balázs, since his age 16 often visited Rippl-Rónai in his Rome-ville, and asked him to correct his works. Rippl-Rónai thought him to be a great talent.
He made secessionist style illustrations and scenes from the Bible to the poems of Ady and Babits.
We can find 13 of his pictures in the Rippl-Rónai Museum.

Alajos Galimberti
(1847, Trieszt - 1897, Kaposvár)
The artist settled down in the boarder of Kaposvár. He created two vistas about Kaposvár and he painted portraits of local citizens. He taught the local youths to paint. His nineth child was the painter Sándor Galimberti.

Sándor Galimberti
(1883, Kaposvár - 1915, Budapest)
The artist come from a local family, learnt in Kaposvár. His father taught him to paint. József Rippl-Rónai explored his talent in the Rome-ville.

Lajos Kunffy
(1869, Orci - 1962, Kaposvár)
Kunffy learnt in the secondary grammar school of Kaposvár, and he spent his youth in the city too. He was a well-known painter in Europe when he settled down in his land in Somogy. Since then, he had an importan role in Kaposvár's art life. He often organised exhibitions, and he transformed his studio to an art gallery. He died in the hospital of Kaposvár.

József Rippl-Rónai
(1861, Kaposvár - 1927, Kaposvár)
He was born in Kaposvár, he finished the primary school here and learnt in the secondary grammar school. After this, he was a pharmacy assistant in the Arany Oroszlán Pharmacy. Then he lived in Budapest, Munchen, Paris and finally he returned and settled down with his French wife in the city in 1902. He moved in the Rome-villa in 1908 which is one of the valued local sights of our town. These artists visited him here: Ady, Móricz, Szinyei Merse, Medgyessy. They were painted by Rippl-Rónai. He lies in the Southern graveyard of Kaposvár.

János Vaszary
(1867, Kaposvár - 1939, Budapest)
He was born in Kaposvár, he finished the primary school here and the first four years of the secondary grammar school. As an artist he met Rippl-Rónai in Paris and not in Kaposvár. In the house of the European-wide known painter and professor you can visit a permanent exhibition which presents the different periods of his career.

Writers, poets

Endre Ady
(1877, Érmindszent - 1919, Budapest)
Endre Ady visited our city twice. First, when he was a journalist in 1902. Secondly after seven years, as a famous poet, he came to his own reading event to the Korona Hotel (present Kapos Hotel), where he brought down the house. He personally met there József Rippl-Rónai, who invited the poet to his Rome-Ville.
He wrote the "Kisvárosok őszi vasárnapjai" as the memory of his visit to Kaposvár.

Dániel Berzsenyi
(1776, Egyházashetye - 1863, Nikla)
The anchor of Nikla in the end of his life was very ill, but he travelled to Kaposvár regularly, once in two months to the library of Somogy. According to contemporary notes he borrowed 134 books during three years, so he was one of the library's activest reader.

Mihály Csokonai Vitéz
(1773, Debrecen - 1805, Debrecen)
The poet was twice in Kaposvár. First in that dance when earl Ferenc Széchenyi was inducted to lord lieutenant. It inspired his drama, the "Dorottya, avagy a dámák diadala a Fársángon".
His second visit was less pleasant: he went to the pharmacy of József Pirker because he had a toothache.

István Fekete
(1900, Gölle - 1970, Budapest)
The most significant writer of the nature and youth literature finished the primary school and he went to the secondary grammar school and the public school for boys in Kaposvár.
There's a street named after him in the city.

Éva Fésűs (1926, Cegléd) The writer lives in Kaposvár since her marriage in1950. Until her retirement she worked as a shorthand- and typewriter. She published 17 story-books. She had more hundred shows in the Hungarian Radio to the children and The Hungarian Television showed two of her fairy tales and two of her musical fairy tales. She became the freeman of Kaposvár in 2004.

Mór Jókai
(1825, Komárom - 1904, Budapest)
Mór Jókai and the editor István Roboz made friendship during the years of the boarding school. So Jókai sent articles several times to the Somogy the weekly newspaper.

Atala Kisfaludy
(1832, Kötcse - 1911, Kaposvár)
She moved to Kaposvár after her marriage and she started to write poems. Not just the local but the national magazines published her novels and poems. She was the first woman writer who became the member of the Petőfi Company and one of the Berzsenyi Company's founder. Her daughter is Fruzsina Szalay poetess.

Ferenc Móra
(1879, Kiskunfélegyháza - 1843, Szeged)
The writer loved the city. His friend was the director of Kaposvár's museum, so he visited often to the chief town of the county. He bought here and brought home to his grand-child the first globular bell.

Fruzsina Szalay (1864, Kaposvár - 1926, Kaposvár) Her mother Atala Kisfaludy, the first poetess of Kaposvár, made her known the Hungarian writers and made her loved the literature. A number of her poems published in the national magazines, she was the vice-president of the Berzsenyi Company. Before she died she asked her husband to burn her manuscript front of her eyes. He was laid to rest beside his mother in the Southern graveyard of Kaposvár.

Gyula Takáts
(1911, Tab - 2008, Kaposvár)
The poet, writer, translator, the significant member of the third generation of "Nyugat", lived in Kaposvár. Between 1940 and 1947 he was an assistant master in the town. He was appointed to the Rippl-Rónai Museum and the Museum's of Somogy County in 1948. From 1985 he was the chairman of Dániel Berzsenyi Literature and Art Company. From 1994 he was the vice-president of the Hungarian Pen Club. In 1994 he was the founder member of the Széchenyi Literature and Art Academy. From 1973 he was the freeman of Kaposvár.
His awards:
1941 - Baumgarten award
1960 and 1971 József Attila award
1983 Művészeti Alap award

Árpád Papp
(1937, Somogyaszaló- 2010.Ajka)
He passed his school exam in the Anna street school and than he was the student of hte Sétatéri school. He passed his high-school graduation in 1955 in the Táncsics Mihály Secondary Grammar School. The poet, translator, the professor of literary history, editor and teacher edited a literature coloumn in the reorganised Somogy magazine. From 1966 he took part in the creating of the Világirodalmi lexicon, he worked up the researchers of new Greek and Cyprus. He got the award for the best first book in 1977 (shared with Péter Esterházy) but he didn't accept it. In 1980 got the Art Award of the County. From 1975 he is the member of the Hungarion Writers Association, from 1976 the PEN Club and the Irodalmi Alap. He took part in more literature event in Greece with Nikiforosz Vrettakosz, the translator of Attila József.

Composers, musicians

Béla Bartók
(1881, Nagyszentmiklós - 1945, New York)
Béla Bartók on 19th January 1925. had a piano concert in the theatre of Kaposvár. The famous artist presented idiomatically the classics and his own compositions. Therefore there was just a small number of audience.

Pista Dankó
(1858, Szatymaz - 1967, Budapest)
The famous composer step up as a primate in 1895 in Kaposvár. The Korona Hotel filled with the fun of the gipsy music who didn't like the Dankó-band too much and they were without enthusiasm. That's why their performance on the next day was cancelled.

Zoltán Kodály
(1882, Kecskemét - 1967 Budapest)
He took part in 1959 in the play of "Háry János" in the Csiky Gergely Theater. During his stay he visited the music institutions and the archives.

Artists

Lujza Blaha
(1850, Rimaszombat - 1926, Budapest)
The "Nemzet Csalogánya" first arrived to Kaposvár in 1878 and in the railway station a huge, cheering mass of people waited for her. They presented the play "A falu rossza", in the County Hall and they gave the revenue to the nursery school. In her next performance she was also surrounded by enthusiasm and celebration.

Mari Jászai
(1850, Ászár - 1926, Budapest)
The nationally celebrated actress was the guest several times of the actor's of Kaposvár. The audience welcomed her with enthusiasm, she had a great success storm of applause and enormous bays waited for her.

Politicians

Lajos Kossuth
(1802, Monok - 1894, Torino)
In 1869 Lajos Kossuth was elected to the parliamentarian of Kaposvár. Then Kossuth lived in Turin, he thanked the possibility but didn't accepted. Some years later the general assembly of the city elected him to freeman. Later a group of people visited him from Somogy between them the poetess Fruzsina Szalay. His statue was stood up in the square of Kaposvár, named after him and the paint Béla Barcsay painter was set in the assembly hall of the Town Hall in 1905.

Imre Nagy
(1896, Kaposvár - 1958, Budapest)
The prime minister of Hungary, born in Kaposvár and died as a martyr, finished his primary and secondary grammar school in Kaposvár. He took part in the building of the hospital as a locksmith assistant and encroached to the college. There's a memorial tablet on his house, and a statue which was stood up in 1996 in a park named after him.

earl István Széchenyi
(1791, Bécs - 1860, Döbling)
The family Széchenyi had more connection with the county. His father Ferenc Széchenyi was the lord lieutenant of Somogy; in that event when he was enrolled Csokonai took part too. In 1835 Széchenyi was the first who became the freeman of the town.

Sportmen

Ferenc Csik, swimmer
(1913, Kaposvár - 1945, Sopron)
Originally his name was Ferenc Lengvári, but after his uncle Dr. László Csik adopted him, he changed his name for Csik. Beside the swimming he was sailing, playing tennis, skiing and skating. He loved dancing too.
1932 - in the world championship of Torino he was the member of 4x200m relay
1934 - in the Europe championship of Magdeburg he won two gold medals in freestyle
1934 - Paris; he won the Grand Prix in tennis
1935 - word record and Europe record in swimming
1936 - in the Olympic Games of Berlin he was champion in freestyle on 100m and was third as the member of the 4x200 m freestyle
1937 - he finished the medical school and became a doctor
1939 - he restarted and edited the Kapos Sport for 5 years
1943 - he was the publisher of the "Orvosi közlemények"
During an air-attack, he died in Sopron when he worked as a doctor in 1945. The swimming pool of Kaposvár was named after him and a memorial championship is organised in every year.

Endre Győrfi, water-polo player
(1920, Hajmáskér - 1992, Kaposvár)
Qualification: Budapest University of Technology and Economics Faculty of Architecture
Clubs: Kaposvári Turul, MAFC, Bp. Honvéd, Bp, Vasas, Kaposvári Vasas, Kaposvári Rákóczi SC
Endre Győrfi got know the water sports in Kaposvár, in the school of József Adorján. He started as a breakstroke swimmer, continued with water-polo and he became a gatekeeper.
1944 - he was the member of the Hungarian picked
1947 - he won world championship with the picked team of the college
1948 - he kept the goals in six matches of the Olympic games, like in the matchplay against the Italian team; he won silver medal
1964 - he returned to Kaposvár; he was the initiative of the Csik Ferenc memorial championship

Árpád Lengyel, swimmer, water-polo player
(1915, Kaposvár - 1993, New Jersey, USA)
Clubs: Kaposvári Turul, BEAC
His carrer from the swimming pool of Kaposvár to the world-wide fame was smooth. His trainer was József Adorján, and he won everything in the country's championships.
1934 - Magdeburg Europe Championship: gold medal in 4x200m
1938 - London European Championship: bronz medal in 100 m in backstroke
1936 - Olympic Games in Berlin: bronz medal in 4x200m
In 1956 he moved to the west with his family and he died there. His ashes were lied in the family's hypogeum. His family settled the urn in a ceremony in 1997 in the Southern graveyard of Kaposvár, which is opposite to the grave of his trainer József Adorján.

János Farkas, foot tennis player
(1950, Kaposvár)
Club: Kaposvári Gazdász
During his youth he was an athlete; he was among the best in hammer throw, discus throw and javelin throw. His county record hasn't been beating since 1966. At the age of 18 he took part in the first serious foot tennis championship. He is multiple picked of his sport. He was country champion eight times between 1980 and 1984.
1990 - Switzerland EC: individual silver medal
1991 - Kaposvár EC: gold medal
1993 - Bukarest EC: gold medal without lost match
1994 - Kassa WC: the first world champion of the Hungarian sport life at the age of 44
1992 - Brasilia: individual first place in World Cup

Endre Bogdán, car model builder
(1942, Kaposvár)
Clubs: Kaposvári Központi Modellező Klub, Latinca Sándor Művelődési Ház MK, Kaposgép VL MK, Kaposvári Textiles MK.
He has one of the most important champion past in the county. He started to build airplane models in 1954 and four year later he was the 11th in the country championship with his car model.
1968-1980: country champion 13 times
1973: Lublin EC: first place
1998: Sydney WC: individual bronz medal
Until 2005 he took part in 250 champion and he was among the first three place 150 times.
Since 1975 he has been the chief of the Somogy Megyei Modellező Szövetség. He published a lot of articles in the Modellezés magazine.

Ifj. Zoltán Füzesy, boxer
(1961, Kaposvár)
Clubs: KSI, Újpesti Dózsa, Kaposvári Dózsa
His boxer father was his trainer.
1981-89. - Hungarian champion five times in 75 kg.
1991. - Hungarian champion in 81 kg
1994 - Budapest EC: silver medal in 75kg
1988 - Olympic Games in Seoul: fifth place in middle-weight
1989 - Moscow: bronze medal in the WC

ifj. László Kovács, diver and finswimmer
(1976, Kaposvár)
Clubs: MHSZ Könnyűbúvár Klub Kaposvár, Kaposvári Húsos SC, Kaposvári Adorján SE
1991-1994 - multiple national single and relay champion
1993 - Lyon WC: two silver medal in 400m and 800 m
1994 - China WC - relay silver medal and single sixth place in 800m
1991 - Athen Youth EC - single bronze medal, in relay 1-3rd place and two single silver and one single bronze in 1993

Péter Vinkler, finswimmer
(1983, Kaposvár)
One of the best finswimmer of our days, multiple European and World Champion, he has European and world records, and national champion at uncountable time
Best results:
2001 Eger EC: gold medal with world record in 1500, silver medal in 800m and 4x200m
2005 San Marino EC - two bronz medals in 800m and 1500m
1999 Strassbourg WC - two gold medals with world records in 1500m and 800m, one bronze medal in 4x200m
2004 Shanghai WC: a silver and a bronze medal in 1500m and 800m

Zsombor Borhi,canoeing
(1972, Pécs)
Clubs: Kaposvári Vízügyi SC, Bp. Honvéd
He was national abolesent champion two times, three times youth champion, and once junior champion.
In the WC: In Coppenhagen in 1993 World Champion in K2 1000m with Attila Ábrahám (so he becam the first world champion of Somogy), fourth place in single 1000m , K4 10000m silver medal.
1994 Mexico city - world champion K1 500m, silver medal K1 1000m, fourth place K4 10000 m
He was national champion 18 times, seven times World Cup winner, and the member of the Olympic team in Barcelona and in Sydney.

Doctors

Mór Kaposi
(1837, Kaposvár - 1902, Bécs)
The famous dermatologist, finsihed the primary and secondary grammar school in Hungary but the medical school in Wien. He was a world-wide known doctor in Wien when he changed his name from Kohn to Kaposi. With it he wanted to express the insist to his hometown and he hold intercourse with his relatives in Kaposvár.
The hospital of the city was named after him.

Shorthand-writer

Manó Kónyi
(1842, Kaposvár - 1917, Budapest)
He was born in Kaposvár and finished the primary school here. He was one of them who created the shorthand-writing based on the rules of the Hungarian ortography. Between 1861-65 he wrote down the speeches in the parliament of Pest, Nagyszeben and Kolozsvár, and he was the chief of the shorthand-writing office of the parliament for 20 years. He collected the speeches of Ferenc Deák in six books. According Deák's advice he changed his name from Kohn to Kónyi.

In connection with Kaposvár

A Republic együttes
The song "67-es út" has a history. Cipő wrote the song to his late wife because he couldn't understand the break up. But the girl didn't react for this song...

Az A.D. Stúdió együttes
Bárió Auguszt (1967, Kaposvár) won the Tinisztár quiz in the middle of the 80'. and became the member of the A.D.Stúdió - formed in 1990. He published his single in 2001 "Mikor a Föld alszik".

Majors of the city

www.kaposvar.hu

Freemans of the city

www.kaposvar.hu

Biography

Kaposvár és környéke. Szerk.: Dávid János. Dávid kiadó -Kaposvár, 2000.
Nagy Zoltán: Utcák, terek névadói Kaposváron. Kaposvár, 2005.
Magyar Életrajzi Lexikon 1000-1990. Javított, átdolgozott kiadás.
Jutasi Róbert: Sport reflektor. Ki kicsoda Somogyban? 2007. Kaposvár
www.kaposvar.hu